Off-Grid Knives Black Stallion

jideta

jideta

Joined
Apr 8, 2020
Messages
2,099
It's a big knife:

DSC_3276.jpg

Next to a Tinker for scale.
Bigger than it looked in the pictures both here on BF and on the site.

DSC_3277.jpg

I started a thread questioning the need or want for a humungasoid knife; you know, the Medford folks et al.
There must be something about them gigantic boat anchors for I see them all the time, especially here.
Wait.
Ok, this is not one of those:

DSC_3278.jpg

Boat anchor it isn't.
In fact the blade is on the thin side, more like a slicer!
Big fat blade! Svelte like a slasher!
The size is deceiving, which I'm not sure is a good thing.
This is just me, but it makes the knife feel well, cheap.
No it isn't, but size to weight ratio is just off.
Don't get me wrong, the Black Stallion is on par with all the Russian knives I been fooling with; in fact I wouldn't be surprised if some of the parts weren't sourced from the same place.
Fit and finish are excellent so far (I haven't taken it apart, yet). Another great value compared to say some other brands that will not be named.
One advantage is that because it's not a Jumbo Jet, it shouldn't make you limp when you EDC it. If you fall in a river you should have a decent chance of not having it drag you down.
Blade flies out! detent is good; couldn't get it to deploy no matter how hard I flicked my wrist (thank that light thin blade), and it drops back in nicely.
Would I get another? I dunno.
The reason I got it was that it looked easy to swap out the scales. Which I will be doing sooner than later.
Off-Grid is kinda strange as they also have a 'premium' line. They don't say exactly what makes it premium, domestic build I'm guessing, the Black Stallion is part of their inexpensive line.
The Black Stallion is not something I'd recommend; to me it's sort of a niche blade. On the other hand, I wouldn't turn one away.
 
Time will tell how that coating ages with use... If you use it enough, that is.

I like it. The older I get, the more nimble, thin and light I like my folders. They spend more time in the pocket than in use, so, for me, it makes sense to trade some girth in the handle (which would make usage more comfortable) for ease of carry. Besides, I am not punching through fusselages all day.

UPDATE: I was curious about this knife and I browsed a little bit. Google took me to their main website. This particular knife does not seem pricy, I was expecting to be more money. Then realized it is D2, so it makes sense.

I was checking other designs and came across one that resembled the now discontinued ZT 300 series... and well, right on my face, in the middle of the description of said knife, they mention (and I quote): "Compare our Rapid Fire series to some of the larger ZT folding knives (Zero Tolerance knives), high quality without the high cost,...". Not something you usually see in a manufacturers website, that's for sure. What is going on?

I then went to the ABOUT US tab and well, I was pleasantly surprised that they tell you up front where every line of their catalog is made. And I got to say that everything I read made perfect sense.

Mikel
 
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I liked the disclosure too.
Not many knife folks reveal where, why, and how.
Just a quick follow up:
This blade really snaps out.
I don't know if its the geometry or the size of the blade or what, but the throw feels short and it seems to have great leverage.
As I was goofing with it last night I thought this might be the best flipper I've had so far.
Fit and finish is great, nothing sloppy going on here.
Just me, but I didn't like the black painted liner. I can see why, but I just didn't like it.
I'm not saying it was cheap, but it made me feel like it was cheap.
Brushed stainless would have been fine.
Not sure if this is the final config:

DSC_3279.jpg

I also sanded the blade finish some to get some contrast from the grinds; I think it matches the scales a bit better.
Still not sure how I feel exactly about this but I'm still goofing with it while I watch tv.
I guess it's growing on me.
 
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